A view of a coastal Pigcale village hit by Typhoon Melor

A view of a coastal Pigcale village hit by Typhoon Melor, in Legazpi city, Albay province in the Philippines. Wide areas of the central Philippines were plunged into darkness as powerful typhoon Melor barreled into the coconut-growing region, causing flooding, storm surges and forcing almost 800,000 people to evacuate their homes, officials said.